The Punjabi diaspora in a time of media hybridization: The empowering of ‘counterpublics’

Abstract

This thesis explores the ways in which three Punjabi-Canadian news outlets in British Columbia push back against negative representations in the mainstream press, while drawing attention to causes of concern to members of that diasporic community in Canada and around the world.
I argue that the three outlets reflect the formation of “public sphericules,” which both provide counter-narratives to mainstream discourse and offer coverage that attempts to integrate members of that diasporic group into mainstream Canadian society. These are important roles for a number of reasons; because of the negative representations of South Asians that have characterized the Canadian mainstream press’ coverage; and because multicultural news outlets help people to negotiate between their physical and cultural homes. Scholars in the areas of diasporic studies, South Asian studies, and counterpublic formation inform this thesis.
Through qualitative interviews with the editors at each of the publications, as well as through a two-month framing analysis of the coverage at the outlets, this study explores how multiple public sphericules can be bonding agents, building a sense of cohesion within a cultural community, while at the same time bridging that cultural community with the larger communities in which they live.